Vinegar has been used for cooking purposes for years in various cuisines. It has been used to make pickles, salad dressings, marinating poultry and other meat and for a variety of other reasons.

Vinegar was also used in ancient cultures to treat a variety of common ailments; however, it is apple cider vinegar that is considered the best vinegar for a variety of reasons.

How Apple Cider Vinegar is Made

Apple cider vinegar is produced by a process called fermentation in which the sugars in a product (apple in this case) are broken by yeast. At first sugar turns into alcohol and on further fermentation what you get is vinegar. The term vinegar is actually derived from a French word that means ‘sour wine’.

Apple cider vinegar contains acetic acid, as is the case with other vinegars as well. However, apple cider also contains high levels of other acids, minerals, vitamins and amino acids.

Based on the health benefits that apple cider vinegar is supposed to have, it is sold as a food ingredient and also as a supplement. There are many brands that try and sell apple cider vinegar in bottles that have a clear transparent liquid.

However, the fact is that the real apple cider vinegar is organic and unfiltered. Therefore, a bottle of real apple cider vinegar is likely to have a brownish hue and tiny floating substances that look like cobwebs.

The Health Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar

The health benefits that apple cider vinegar is associated with are not baseless, there have been plenty of tests that show the manner in which apple cider vinegar is beneficial for a variety of health conditions.

1) Diabetes

The health benefits of apple cider vinegar have been studied extensively in the case of diabetes. Studies have shown that regular consumption of apple cider vinegar helps in lowering glucose levels in the blood.

A study among 11 people in 2007 found that if 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar were taken every day in the morning, blood glucose levels reduced by 4 to 6 percent.

2) Cholesterol

Apple cider vinegar is also known to lower cholesterol levels in rats. While the study is yet to be replicated among humans, better cholesterol levels are an expected benefit of apple cider vinegar.

3) Heart Health

Those who consume oil and vinegar salad dressings about 5 to 6 times a week have been seen to have lower incidence of heart diseases.

4) Cancer

There have been contradictory reports of the affect of apple cider vinegar on cancer treatment. Although it cannot be claimed that apple cider vinegar can be sustained as the only cancer treatment, it is known to kill cancer cells and prevent them from growing rapidly.

In addition to the above mentioned health benefits, apple cider vinegar is also used as a skin toner, bacterial douche, sunburn treatment and a weight loss supplement.

How Apple Cider Vinegar May Help With Weight Loss?

While nothing has been proven beyond doubt as yet, there are studies that have been conducted among mice that indicate that the high levels of acetic acid in apple cider vinegar may have properties that induce natural ‘fat burning’ in the body.

When two groups of mice were given apple cider vinegar and water, it was observed that those on apple cider vinegar lost as much as 10% of body fat.

In fact, apple cider vinegar is known to help in weight reduction by suppressing appetite, increasing metabolic rate and reducing water retention. Pectin, a water soluble fiber in apples, is responsible for a feeling of fullness and a lower appetite; but it is acetic acid that is considered to increase metabolic rates.

The high level of potassium in apple cider vinegar helps in regulating sodium and therefore, reduces the chances of water retention.